Who’s Really Getting Rich From Mystery Shopping?
Someone’s Getting Rich From Mystery Shopping -- But It’s Not The Shoppers
I know you’ve seen the ads promising you can make good money mystery shopping, also known as secret shopping. Unfortunately, I don’t know of a single mystery shopper who makes “good” money. Sure, they make some money (usually just enough to cover the expense of the mystery shop) but they sure as heck don’t get rich. So who is getting rich from mystery shopping? You may be surprised.
“Membership” Sites
The first group of people getting rich off the mystery shopping industry is the group who offers subscription memberships telling people what companies are hiring mystery shoppers. These are the websites promising you can make great money being a mystery shopper, and they’ll tell you exactly how to do it for less than thirty bucks. Unfortunately, most mystery shoppers will never make enough of a profit to even warrant the thirty-dollar investment.
The Mystery Shopper Companies
There is another group of people getting rich from mystery shopping, and that is the companies who hire the mystery shoppers. These companies get paid big bucks (and I mean BIG bucks) by companies for their mystery shopping services. Unfortunately, most of the companies hired have no idea what it means to be generous to their mystery shoppers. Some shoppers only receive reimbursement for their mystery shopping purchase (usually not exceeding $20) and some don’t even get that much. So where’s all the money going? Into the pockets of the people who own the mystery shopping company.
The Solution
Here’s my advice. If you want to do mystery shopping because you think it’s something you would enjoy, by all means do it. There are in fact many people who find mystery shopping fun and do it for the sheer enjoyment -- any monetary profit is just a bonus. However, if you’re interested in doing it because you think you’ll make a great full-time income, don’t waste your time.